María José

Biography

María José Loyola Anaya (born January 12, 1976), known professionally as María José, is a Mexican singer, ballerina, flamenco dancer, athlete and television personality. Her career started at age 15, in the 1990s, when she joined the Mexican band Kabah as a vocalist. After leaving the band in 2006, she continued on as a solo artist and has released six studio albums to date.

Biography

María José received a B.A. in communications before becoming a well-known and established vocalist during the time when she was part of Kabah, from the mid- to late-1990s.
Her first experience on stage was at age 14, as a dancer in the Spanish Dance Company led by Maria Elena Anaya. She remained in the company participating with flamenco songs as well.

Career as a solo singer

During 2007, María José posed for the cover of MAX magazine, the equivalent of Maxim in the US.
She opened for Gwen Stefani's The Sweet Escape Tour in Mexico. This part of the tour included concerts in Arena Monterrey in Monterrey and in Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City. She also appeared in the Reventour, a series of concerts in several places in Mexico, both as a singer and as a host.
In late July, she was part of an American tour with Lu and Motel and announced the release of her first album in August in the United States, which she promoted extensively. She was also invited to participate in Hoy No Me Puedo Levantar, the Mexican musical based on the career and songs of the Spanish pop group Mecano.
She was nominated for Best New Artist in the Premios Oye!, the Mexican equivalent of the Grammys. She participated in El Show de los Sueños from September 30 to October 19, 2008, finishing in fourth place. In the first show, along with her counterpart Thalía, she sang "Tocando Fondo". In the following show the two sang "Te Aprovechas". In the third show they sang "No me quedas mas" and in the fourth show they sang "Quererte a ti". In the fifth show "Amores Extranos" followed by the sixth show with "Amiga Mia".
On February 6, 2010, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors proclaimed February 6 as "María José Day" during her club performance in the city.

2007-2008: First album María José

In 2007, her first solo album, María José, was announced and the first single "Quien Eres Tu?", featuring Trey Songz and of dance and hip-hop influences, started to receive airplay in Mexico.
Two weeks after its release, the album reached number 84 in the Mexican charts. This song also appeared on iTunes as a free single during the week of January 11, 2008.
She has said in various interviews that she expected the second single to be "Mas de ti" or "Habla menos". "Me Equivoque", another track from the album, had major digital sales in Mexico.
In late August, "Me Equivoque", along with its video, was released. "¿Donde Esta?", the third and final single of the album, was officially released in April 2008. The song's video was filmed in Mexico City at Estudios Churubusco. 20 fans, who were chosen after winning a contest, were invited to attend the filming.
María José announced on April 18, 2008, that she had officially left Warner Music. No explanation was given, but her third single was released as an independent artist and not with the help of Warner Music.

2009-2011: Amante de lo Ajeno and Amante de lo Bueno

Promotion of her second album began with a short performance as the opening act of Rihanna's Disturbia tour in Mexico City on January 24, 2009. She premiered the song "No soy una señora" during the show.
Amante de lo ajeno was released on May 12, 2009. It consists of 11 songs that had been hits by pop divas in the 1980s.
"No soy una señora" was released as the first single on March 2, and became very popular in Mexico, especially among teenagers.
The follow-up singles were "Mi Amor, Amor" and "Adelante Corazón", both of which experienced success in Mexican charts. The fourth single was planned to be "Sola No, Yo No Se Estar", but was scrapped due to the release of her third album.
María José released her third album, Amante de lo Bueno×Amante De Lo Bueno2011 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Un Nuevo Amor3:552Francamente3:443La Ocasión Para Amarnos3:544No Soy Una Muñeca3:355Después de Tu Adiós3:246Castillos3:547Será El Ángel3:478Baila3:509Este Amor No Se Toca3:3510Completamente Tuya4:0711Corazón Encadenado3:28Disc 212Fíjate Que No2:5213Hoy Tengo Ganas de Ti3:4814Si Pero No3:24, on November 9, 2010. It is another compilation of hits from the 1980s. The first single, "La Ocasión Para Amarnos", was released in October. The single became another huge success in Mexico.

2012-2018: De Noche and Habla Ahora

María José released her fourth album, De Noche×De noche15 August 2012 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1El brillo de la luna3:542Extraña3:403Tú ya sabes a mí3:394Tu silencio5Camaleón4:006La cara oculta del amor3:527Te vas a acordar de mí3:328Prefiero ser su amante9Analgésico10Hoy me declaro en libertad4:1511Ahora o nunca3:3312Vete4:3113Se nos va la vida worldwide on iTunes on August 15, 2012. It was her second album with all new songs. The first single, "Tú Ya Sabes a Mí", was released in June 2012. "Extraña" was released as a single in Spain.
María José released her fifth album, Habla Ahora×Habla ahora26 May 2017 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 21 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Las que se ponen bien la falda3:452Lo que te mereces4:103Olvídame y pega la vuelta3:254Cobarde3:265Habla ahora3:236Quiero que te quedes3:467Nada fue verdad3:388Duri duri3:369Ella me gusta para ti3:0910No soy3:1711Hombre malvado2:3512Las que se ponen bien la falda (versión pop)3:5913Ni me vas a extrañar2:5614Despertar3:3615El amor coloca3:2516El amor coloca (remix)3:26Disc 21Las que se ponen bien la falda3:582Habla ahora3:233Olvídame y pega la vuelta3:214El amor coloca3:255El amor coloca (Making of) worldwide on iTunes on October 21, 2016. It is her third album to feature original content. The first single, "Las Que Se Ponen Bien La Falda", featuring Puerto Rican rapper Ivy Queen, was released on May 13, 2016. The title track "Habla Ahora" was released as the second single from the album preceding the release of the album.

2019-present: Live Album Conexión, Esta historia me suena and La Voz

In 2019, María José released a live album, Conexión×Conexión7 June 2019 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 18 tracks1Preludio2:012Un nuevo amor4:133Él era perfecto3:464Tú ya sabes a mí3:495Rosas en mi almohada3:256Me equivoqué4:207El amor manda3:508Hábito de ti4:039Evidencias3:5410Solo el amor lastima así3:5411Adelante corazón3:5712Lo que tenías conmigo3:5513Ya no me acuerdo más de ti3:4314Derroche3:5015Las que se ponen bien la falda3:5116La ocasión para amarnos3:4517Prefiero ser su amante3:3418No soy una señora5:11. It was released on June 7, 2019, by OCESA Seitrack. The album was recorded in front of a selected audience at the concert in Mexico City. In celebration of the tenth anniversary of her breakout album Amante de lo Ajeno×Amante de lo ajeno12 May 2009 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Adelante corazón3:592Acaríciame3:423No soy una señora3:244Y aquí estoy3:525Mi amor amor3:386Cosas del amor4:057Sola no yo no sé estar3:398Este hombre no se toca3:589Herida de muerte3:0610Frente a frente3:2911No me pregunten por él3:44, the album celebrates José's trajectory as a solo artist. The album includes material from her previous five studio albums as well as eight newly recorded songs. Featured guests include Ha*Ash, Yuri, Carlos Rivera and Vanesa Martin. In 2019, she became a judge of TV Azteca's México tiene talento and also became a host of Televisa's new drama series Esta historia me suena with Jen Carlo Bautista, in which she also appeared as an actress in a few episodes. On January 21, 2020, it was announced that she would return to TV Azteca, as a coach of La Voz with Ricardo Montaner, Belinda and Christian Nodal. She later returned for her second and final season in 2021 with Miguel Bosé, Edith Marquez, and Jesús Navarro.

Influences

María José has said many times that a few of her major influences are Mariah Carey, Rocío Dúrcal, Mecano, Moenia, Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera, Madonna, Eugenia León and Boyz II Men.